Train to Gain- City Station to Town Hall

The railways have transported Catherine and I towards, away and back to each other, as well as occasionally being a joint activity. It is all but essential that our main method of intercity transportation is represented in our wedding by at least some people coming by train. I'm sure anyone volunteering for this activity will want to find their way to the Town Hall, in order to follow the instructions to the Church described in Walk this Way.

As mentioned in my earlier post, the Town Hall is very well signposted. Much more so than St George's. However, making the first few turns correctly will mean train travellers arrive promptly enough to see other people fail to make three point turns outside the Church.

Arriving into Leeds City Station you will be directed towards the main concourse and through the automated ticket barriers. Make sure you have your ticket handy or you may have to join us by videolink from inside the station.

Beyond the barriers the room will open out in to the main concourse. In front of you will be the main doors and it will be very tempting to fly straight through these. Do that if you would like, but make sure you turn left out of the doors, following the general movement of people until you get to City Square.

If it is raining, or if you don't like thousands of people around you, it is possible to stay indoors for a few moments more by taking the North Concourse, which can be found to the left of the main concourse:



If you travel through this large corridor to the end and venturing through the doors you will find yourself on City Square:




The large, new, cream building on the other side of the square to you is 1 City Square. Crossing over the square (carefully! That's the loop road going past you, and Uncle Merle and Aunty Midge will be following the directions to the car parks along the loop) you need to go to the RIGHT of 1 City Square and down the road named Park Row.



Perhaps I'm trying too hard to think of every eventuality, but hopefully people reading this will have read above and know that these are walking directions. Anybody driving down Park Row will spend the wedding in a cell and we will have a video link from the arresting officer. It is also interesting to note that (as the picture above confirms) you cannot park on Park Row, nor is there a park on Park Row. What you will find is a number of High Street banks (I write this in October 2008, so it may have to be updated later). Continue along Park Row until you arrive at a large crossroads, with The Light -a large building with "The Light" written a few times over it- on the right:




On the left you'll see the library and art gallery, with a Henry Moore displayed outside. And what's that on the far left! It's the Town Hall!



Get yourself infront of the Town Hall and you can follow the directions from Walk this Way to get to the Church. Hooray!

Walk this Way- Town Hall to St George's Church

People are going to be coming into Leeds in all different ways, excluding hovercraft and I was set the challenge of working out how to shepherd people into a slightly hidden city-centre church. The easiest way I could think of was to direct everybody towards Leeds Town Hall and give you the directions to St George's from there.

It is worth saying at least once (although I will be repeating it in later posts) that there is basically no parking at or near the Church. Anyone foolhardy enough to try and park there will have to complete a difficult three point turn infront of a large number of distant relatives, smoking doctors and passing students. Any car parking spaces in the immediate vicinity of the Church are normally filled by workers at Leeds General Infirmary. We will be updating this site with the nearest car parks to use. After parking your car you will then need to get yourself to the Town Hall to follow the directions below. If anyone in your car has particular mobility problems then get in touch with us and we will find the best place for you to park.

Leeds Town Hall is an impressively big and well sign posted building. It is hard to miss if you are on the right street and if not it is always on the signposts conveniently located throughout the City Centre. It is also pretty close to St George's and has the added convenience of having regular weddings taking place, so there will be lots of formally dressed people milling around. Aunt Mildred will therefore not feel out of the ordinary in her fine millinery and Laura Ashley garments.

The Town Hall looks like this:



The Town Hall is a block unto itself, with roads on all four sides. Standing at the front of the town hall (the view above is at the front) you need to walk down the road to the left. This is Oxford Place and at the start of Oxford Place is Oxford Place Methodist Church:



This is not the church you have been looking for. Walk down Oxford Place and the road splits into two at St George's House. You take the left hand turn at this junction and your view should look like this:




At the end of this short road you will turn left again and a large, bespired building should be visible at the end of the road:



This is St George's Church. Hooray! However, it is the BACK of St George's Church so you need to make your way to the front, which is at the end of the road. Looking onto the Church the question of how you get into this high building is solved, with a fine set of stone stairs:



There is also a lift, should you need it, to the left of the steps.

Congratulations! You've made it to our wedding!

The Basics

We shall be married in St George's Church, Leeds, LS1 3BR on Saturday 4 April 2009 at 11.30am. Everyone and anyone and her sister are invited to the wedding. It would be really great for anyone who wants to attend to come.

We shall be celebrating our marriage in two different receptions. The first is for our very closest friends and family and will be held after the wedding at Weetwood Hall, Leeds, LS16 5PS.

The second reception will be held on the evening of Saturday 18 April 2009 at The Church of the Martyrs, Leicester, LE3 0QT. Time TBC.

We will update you with information about directions, parking, public transport, accommodation, wedding lists and so on later.

The First Post

Hello everyone,
This will eventually be a repository for all of the information regarding our wedding, taking place in St Georges Church, Leeds on 4 April 2009 and all of the associated events.

We will add information over time, building up to an library of information. If you have an individual question (whether it is factual, philosophical or tactical) please ask it in a comment or e-mail it to us. If we think the answer is important for lots of people, we will answer it in an actual post.

I hope everyone enjoys this. Here is a picture of us looking cute together.